Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

a strutting rooster, a goat,
and a king at the head of his army.

For the churning of milk produces butter,
and twisting a nose draws blood,
and stirring up anger produces strife.

If you have been foolish by exalting yourself
or if you’ve been scheming,
put your hand over your mouth.

The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.

The man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in His hands?
Who has bound up the waters in a cloak?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name,
and what is the name of His Son—
if you know?

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.

Don’t add to His words,
or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.

The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!”
Three things are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough!”:

As for the eye that ridicules a father
and despises obedience to a mother,
may ravens of the valley pluck it out
and young vultures eat it.

Three things are beyond me;
four I can’t understand:

Two things I ask of You;
don’t deny them to me before I die:

Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:

I am more stupid than any other man,
and I lack man’s ability to understand.

There is a generation that curses its father
and does not bless its mother.

Don’t slander a servant to his master
or he will curse you, and you will become guilty.

the ants are not a strong people,
yet they store up their food in the summer;

The earth trembles under three things;
it cannot bear up under four:

There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
yet is not washed from its filth.

a lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and doesn’t retreat before anything,

Three things are stately in their stride,
even four are stately in their walk:

the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship at sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.

This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

an unloved woman when she marries,
and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.

There is a generation whose teeth are swords,
whose fangs are knives,
devouring the oppressed from the land
and the needy from among mankind.

Otherwise, I might have too much
and deny You, saying, “Who is the Lord?”
or I might have nothing and steal,
profaning the name of my God.

hyraxes are not a mighty people,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs;

I have not gained wisdom,
and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.

Sheol; a childless womb;
earth, which is never satisfied with water;
and fire, which never says, “Enough!”

a lizard can be caught in your hands,
yet it lives in kings’ palaces.

locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in ranks;

a servant when he becomes king,
a fool when he is stuffed with food,

There is a generation—how haughty its eyes
and pretentious its looks.